The gate opened as they stood behind it. Ryker exchanged a look with his brother before sudden light hit his eyes. He turned and immediately frowned when all he could see was a blanket of white covering the ground and tall trees with the same white substance covering their leaves.

He stepped out and got hit with a chilling cold breeze. He gripped his gun tighter but walked on with Gunner closely by his side. They walked straight ahead into another building with the word terminus engraved at the top of it.

He licked his lips, taking in as much as he could. There were people in there, staring at them, some walking by them and others -Ryker noticed- pulling their curious children behind them and glaring at the soldiers.

Gunner frowned when a particular human met his gaze with a look of disgust and loath. Gunner shifted his gun from his right arm to his left and as anticipated, the man lowered his gaze to it. His eyes widened slightly before he looked away completely.

Eventually, they made their way to what they we're told was a train. Once inside, they took their seats and waited for it to take them wherever they we're going.

🔱🔱🔱

"So, they got into the program. Today's their first hunt outside the gates and my source was able to get me a copy of the areas they will be assigned to from today until the end of time. It's a system that automatically generates their allocated places. Yeah, I don't know how he managed to pull it off either," Glaze said looking around at everyone.

"So, what are we waiting for, let's go get them already." Faby said.

"We can't. Not until we know how this program works, if the council is watching them somehow, how many they are and what kind of equipment they are using. We could try and go after them, only for us to be captured. We need to wait and analyze instead of fall into the council's bait. Let's not forget that this could also be a trap for us." Glaze reasoned.

"He's right. As much as we'd want to just go ahead and get them back here, we might be surprised on how it'll turn out, who knows what side they're on."

"They hate the council. They're obviously against the Centre."

"And yet they are Apex soldiers?" Kai asked, his jaw gritting.

"Maybe they joined so they could have a way out. Don't be so quick to judge them, dear." Gran said wisely sending an apologetic smile to the children around that seemed uncomfortable.

"She's right," Reever said, crossing his arms with a frown on his face, "I volunteer to scout this area and see if I can find them. I won't pursue them. I need to know that your source speaks the truth and is trustworthy."

"I'm afraid that won't be wise, Reever."

"How so?"

Kai rolled his eyes, "You go out there, and you might as well be begging to be captured."

"I'll go." Secile suggested, taking a step forward.

Gran shook her head, "As much as we all want to have them back here, we need to lay low and be patient. We are already a step ahead of the Centre, let's not try anything until we are sure." She suggested.

Kai and Reever looked at her longer than necessary, each of them knowing that Gran has seem a vision. Be it of the present or the future and that she had a reason buried deep inside her words. It was always wise to listen to her.

Glaze nodded before he pulled something that looked like a chip from his pocket and pushed it into his forearm that was mostly computerised. He then turned his palm up and a holographic screen hovered above it.

"What's this?" Ziera asked.

"My source was able to sneak surveillance on their uniforms before he delivered them to them. We won't be able to see them, but we'll see what they're doing."

Grins suddenly morphed on everyone's faces as they waited for the screen to show. It widened and split into two before it displayed the surrounding of what looked like an abandoned city on the right and a busy one of the left with people constantly sneaking glances at whoever of the brothers that was on that side.

"Which one is-."

There was a deep hiss before they ducked for cover as something flew past him. There was a huff before he peeped from the wall he took cover at. Right there stood a kid with long, big, black wings glaring down at him.

"Really? They sent one of you? This is going to be a piece of cake."

He didn't talk but came out of the wall. He seemed to have dropped something because the boy lowered his gaze at the ground with a frown before smirking,

"You want to take me away? You have to catch me first. I'll make it easy for you and not use these babies." he said smugly, flexing his wings.

He took a step forward and the boy made a run for it. Ryker or Gunner ran after him in pursuit, seeming to get close to the boy. The kid was fast, but he was faster. Suddenly, the kid did a wall run and gripped the balcony of the first floor of a building, pulling himself up.

The Zetrian did the same, by the time he made it up, the kid had stood on the balcony rail and jumped up the balcony of the next rail. Ryker or Gunner hesitated before he instead won't inside the building.

He was running through the building, appearing to know his way around the abandon building. As he came out of a particular balcony, he grabbed the guy's hands and pulled him up and over the rail, possibly hurting the kid's stomach in the process.

"Ugh." the boy groaned as his face smacked the ground.

Ryker or Gunner had his knee on his back as he restricted his wings and cuffed his hands.

"Why you'd take down a fellow alien is beyond me." the kid said, gritting his teeth.

He was dragged up and lead towards the exit of the building. On their way, he stopped. The kid frowned up at him. Gunner or Ryker gripped the hoodie and lifted the camera.

There were gasps around the room as everyone peered closer over Glaze's shoulder. It had been Ryker. He frowned and tore the camera from wherever it was and seemed to have tossed it on the ground. He towered over, an agitated frown on his face, before crushing it with his foot. The screen went black after that.

Silently, everyone then simultaneously turned to other screen on the left. Glaze played the footage and watched as Gunner walked down the street towards the train station. Glaze's frown deepened when he saw Ryker walking towards his brother; with the kid in front of him. Gunner stopped and gripped the camera, dropped it, towered over it -allowing them to get a glimpse of his face- before he crushed it with his foot just as Ryker did.

They blinked.

"Well, that helped." Kai said sarcastically with a cocked eyebrow.

"At least we know that our source isn't bullshitting us." Faby said, running his finger along the gills on the right side of his neck.

"He has a point." Dragha added.

"I don't understand why they destroyed the cameras though."

"Wouldn't you have?" Ditrix asked.

Secile pursed her lips, seeing his point.

"How many recruits do we have so far?" Glaze asked.

"Like, approximately two hundred so far." Dragha answered, wondering why he asked that.

"We need more, the Centre is expanding every day, we need to work harder and involve the recruits to help."

They nodded, agreeing with Glaze.

"For the next couple of weeks, we are going to concentrate solely on recruiting and expanding the alliance. We recruit when we can, build our reputation so that they can now we exist and join us out of their own will. Then we can get Ryker and Gunner."

They nodded again, agreeing with him.

"Now, who's hungry?" Gran asked.

Eight pairs of eyes snapped towards her simultaneously. She smiled and walked to the kitchen to prepare their supper while Faby went to get the recruits for dinner.

It was going to be a hell of a couple weeks, Gran said in her head, her mind suddenly trailing off to her grandsons.

My, how they've grown.

🔱🔱🔱

Jax shook on his seat, holding his hands together behind him as sweat dripped from his neck and forehead. He was screwed. He gulped about took a deep breathe before looking up at the agent, his eyes giving in and begging for mercy.

Agent Kace leaned back on his seat, just as the door swung open and Gunner walked in with Ryker not far behind him. They stood beside Kace, and took in the guy's appearance. Jax gritted his teeth, regretting all that he did and has been doing for-

"Make this easier and less painful, Jax. Are you the mole?" Kace asked for the millionth time they'd both been here.

Ryker narrowed his eyes, his fist clenched, hating what was in front of him. Jax was all tied up, with a pool of his own blood below his feet, his once white shirt was now soaked in blood from a massive cut that was at the left side of his brow.

Gunner and Kace seemed to be less affected by the site, possibly because of their visit to the lab, but Ryker's case was different.

It was at that moment, however, as Kace jabbed the retractable knife in his hand into Jax's abdomen, that Ryker wished he had gotten the stupid shot. Jax let out a loud, deep, chilling scream as Kace twisted the knife, blood oozing from the wound.

Ryker bit his lip, he couldn't look away, he had to look, and he had to be able to take it. Bile rose to his throat, his face paling slightly. He shut his eyes briefly, not being able to take Jax's screams. He clenched his fists hard, his nails digging into his palms and his heart pounding in his chest and beating loudly in his ears.

"ARE YOU!?!" Kace boomed.

Gunner noticed his tensed brother and walked towards Kace, and stood on his other side with his tall, broad frame blocking Jax from Ryker's view.

"N-no, please, I'm not-."

"It's not him." Ryker said in barely a whispered, opening his eyes and staring back at Kace who turned his gaze to him.

He pulled the knife from Jax's abdomen with a frown on his face, "And how, exactly, can you tell? Unless, either you are the mole, or you know who it is,"

Ryker shook his head, his expression blank. Gunner frowned at that then instinctively looked at Jax, "I can tell when people lie. He isn't." Ryker said.

Kace cocked up an eyebrow, "Oh really? I was adopted by a human family when I was small but got separated from them, is that a lie or a truth?"

Ryker's mind went back to the questions back at the council room, remembering that they were all related to them, that must have been why they had Kace do the test, in case he stumbles upon a family with an alien.

They want him to be bitter about it and not sympathetic when that happens. They don't want him to see himself, get overwhelmed by the emotions he would most likely experience, and instead let the kid live with its family.

"Truth." Ryker said confidently.

Kace looked back at Jax, his fucking best friend, they were brought into the Centre on the same day and have been friends ever since. Jax knows everything about him, and Kace knows everything about Jax. They trusted each other. If Jax was the mole, wouldn't he have told him?

Kace felt a sudden lump forming at his throat, his knees were weak and he suddenly felt the urge to drop to his knees and beg for his forgiveness. What had overcome him? What made him torture his best friend? Gunner, seeing this, reached for Kace's knife, holding his gaze,

'Don't show weakness, Kace. They're watching.' Gunner's voice said in Kace's head.

He blinked and let him take the bloody knife now held loosely in his hand, watching helplessly as Gunner walked around Jax and cut up the ropes that bound his friend. At this point, Jax was out cold because of the shock and the blood he lost.

The metallic smell of blood hit Gunner's nose as he freed the unconscious guy. Once Jax was free, Kace stepped forward and picked him up and off the chair, muttering that he was taking him to the infirmary. Gunner and Ryker exchanged a look before averting the others gaze, both of them shaken in their own way.

Ryker from what Kace did to Jax, and Gunner from the fact that Kace had for once, broken out of his egoistic shell and showed compassion to someone who wasn't himself; he and Jax obviously go a long way back.

"Agents Ryker and Gunner, please report to the Council Room, immediately." that one familiar voice said over the intercom, almost sounding agitated.

The brothers walked out of the room as humans dressed in yellow suits and gas masks walked in with cleaning equipment in their hands. Ryker was suddenly feeling feverish, occasionally having to wipe sweat from his forehead and his eyes were droopy with the smell of blood still fresh, but he paid no attention to it.

Gunner, however did, and made a mental note to check up on him after they were done with the council. Ryker turned to Gunner as they were in the elevator and Gunner did a double take, his eyes were suddenly a fiery red, like a dragon's with a thick, black line in place of his pupil. Gunner reeled back, pressing himself to the wall of the elevator. He blinked, but when he re-opened his eyes once again, Ryker's own were back to normal.

'Something wrong?' Ryker asked as the elevator door swung open.

'No, I saw something that wasn't really there. How are you feeling?'

'I feel fine now,' Ryker said, telling the truth.

Gunner frowned, confused. Did his eyes really turn? Was it a vision, or was it just his head playing tricks on him? That, he didn't know.

🔱🔱🔱

Gran woke up with a start, shooting up from her bed. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and suddenly grinned. They were finally starting to realize themselves and their true potential. This is indeed going to be an interesting week. For everyone, be it Ryker and Gunner, or everyone here. Times are changing, days are numbering, and revolutions are rising.

Soon.

Soon.

🔱🔱🔱

Its frightening red eyes snapped open. It uncoiled itself from its position on the ground and shook its body free of the dust from the cave. Taking a deep breathe, it strode powerfully out of its hiding place, looking at his awoken brother.

Blue, icy eyes met fiery red ones, black alongside black. They spread their wings and soared into the sky with one might leap, beginning their destined journey; their search. The day had come, and as the subjects saw them fly up further and further into the sky, they rejoiced, for there it was, hope had finally risen after nineteen years of suffering and negligence from their masters. They would finally be free. They would finally be saved; they would finally live again.

It was only a matter of time!

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